The invention relates to a method for removing structures.
Specifically, the invention relates to a method for removing structures that can emerge in the production of ferroelectric storage capacitors. The invention also relates to a method for producing one or more structured layers.
To produce ferroelectric capacitors for use in non-volatile semiconductor memories of high integration density, a ferroelectric materialxe2x80x94e.g. SrBi2(Ta, Nb)2O9 (SBT or SBTN, Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) , or Bi4Ti3O12 (BTO)xe2x80x94is used as the dielectric between the electrodes of a capacitor. It is also possible to use paraelectric materials, such as (Ba, Sr)TiO3 (BST). In these types of capacitors, the electrode material is usually a noble metal that resists high temperatures in an oxygen atmosphere. Possible materials include Pt, Pd, Ir, Rh, Ru, RuOx, SrRuO3, LSCO (LaSrCoOx) and high-temperature superconductors (e.g. YBa2CU3O7). In general, capacitor construction proceeds in accordance with either the more technologically demanding stacking principle or the space consuming offset cell principle.
In both variants, processing steps are necessary in order to structure the top and bottom electrodes. The structuring of new electrode materials (such as platinum) in the microelectronics for large-scale integrated memory modules is typically accomplished with plasma processing steps using gas mixtures of what are known as reactive gasses (e.g. chlorine) and noble gasses (e.g. argon). A photosensitive resist is usually used as a mask material in the process. The erosion of material in the non-masked regions on the substrate is accomplished by sputter erosion by firing chlorine and argon ions. In order to be able to realize extremely fine structures in the correct dimensions, it is necessary to transfer the structure of the resist mask onto the platinum layer that is to be structured without altering the critical dimension (CD). But the sputter attack of the ions, as well as the intermediate formation of redepositions, leads to faceting (beveling, tapering) of the mask, particularly in the presence of reactive gasses, and thus to a corresponding faceting in the transfer of the structure into the platinum. The faceting limits the smallest structural sizes that can be achieved in the platinum structuring. Incidentally, the most intense faceting occurs in pure chlorine plasmas.
As the argon fraction in the chlorine-argon gas mixture increases, the edge angle of the resulting platinum structure increases. The utilization of a pure noble gas as a processing gas leads to practically no faceting of the resist mask in the plasma etching. As a consequence, the etched edges that are obtained form the optimal angle ( greater than 80xc2x0), and only minimal expansion occurs (CD gain 30-50 nm/edge). But the buildup of redepositions at the sidewall of the resist mask also increases as the argon fraction in the gas mixture grows. The redepositions consist of a material of the structured layer. In many cases, the redeposited films cannot be removed by wet chemical processes, or a removal of the redepostied material by wet chemical processes leads to intensive damaging of the original film that was structured. FIG. 11 shows a slide of such redepositions (also known as fences) as can arise in the production of a ferroelectric capacitor (bottom platinum electrode, ferroelectric SBT layer, top platinum electrode).
Steep side edges can also be created by carrying out a plasma etching process at high temperatures ( greater than 200xc2x0 C.), preferably using a heated cathode. At higher temperatures, many of the above-mentioned materials form volatile compounds with the processing gasses. However, the procedure is disadvantageous in that it requires a hard mask instead of a standard resist mask. This requires additional processing and structuring steps than a resist mask does. Also, the removal of the hard mask, which is necessary following the structure transfer, leads to an undesirable enlargement of the topography due to etching-on of the underlay. Another problem is that the equipment that is needed for the high-temperature etching is not yet commercially available and furthermore is very expensive.
Attempts have also been made to eliminate the problem by using processes leading to heavy faceting of the mask (e.g. chlorine-rich processes). After the faceting to an angle of approximately 50xc2x0, the redepositions at the edges of the mask are advantageously etched relative to the film being etched, since they form an angle relative to the impinging ions at which the sputter erosion is greatest. One thus obtains structures without redepositions. However, the procedure has the disadvantage that, the redeposition-free process comes at the price of flat, sharply angled structural edges ( less than  less than 90xc2x0) and associated CD alterations. The process is unsuitable for etching thin metal layers, since a faceting of the mask is not achieved in the shorter processing times.
Beyond this, it has also been attempted to eliminate the problem using a two-stage process of plasma etching and removal of the redepositions by polishing, ultrasound action, or high-pressure liquid jets. The steepest edge angles are obtained using pure argon plasmas. The redepositions that are generated are removed in a second step by sound influences, polishing or a high-pressure jet, for instance with organic solvent. The disadvantage of the removal of redepositions by simple polishing is that the redepositions break off in the polishing process, and the material of the redepositions is spread (smeared) on the substrate by the polishing, which can lead to damage to the structures that have already been formed.
Furthermore, the redepositions (fences) warp during the normal incinerating of the photosensitive resist. If the level of the resist and thus of the redepositions is lower than the structural size of the structure being etched, then resist often lies buried under the redepositions. This smears together with the dislodged redepositions in the grinding process. Given ultrasound processing, the redepositions frequently break off to half their height. The sound couples less effectively into the now shorter structures. This results in processes that are very long or that achieve incomplete removal of the fences. Besides this, special equipment, which is expensive, is needed for the cleaning process using a high-pressure liquid jet (80 atm).
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method for removing structures which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art methods of this general type.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for removing structures. The method includes the steps of providing a substrate having the structures to be removed; depositing a sacrifice layer on the structures and the substrate; and removing the structures and the sacrifice layer in a polishing step.
The inventive method has the advantage that the sacrifice layer surrounds the structures that are to be removed and stabilizes them, making it possible to slowly and successively erode the structures in the subsequent polishing step without the structures breaking off. This prevents a smearing of the material of the structures that are to be removed, such as occurs given direct polishing without a sacrifice layer. Since the sacrifice layer is a matter of a layer that has no function of its own in the structure being produced, artifacts that are conditional to the polishing step, such as what is known as xe2x80x9cdishingxe2x80x9d, as well as unevenness, over polishing, and so on, are of minor significance.
In addition, an inventive method for producing one or more structured layers is proposed. The method starts by obtaining a substrate, at least one layer is applied to the substrate for structuring, a mask is placed on the layer that must be structured, the layer being structured is etched by a dry etching process, whereby redepositions of the layer being structured emerge at the sidewalls of the mask, the mask is removed, a sacrifice layer is applied and in a polishing step, the redepositions of the layer being structured and the sacrifice layer are removed, and a structured layer emerges.
An advantage of the inventive method is that materials which materials are difficult to etch can be etched with high physical components, and the redepositions (fences) that emerge can be removed again without substantial residues. It is thus possible to use the desired low dimensional expansion in the etching with high physical components, despite the redepositions.
According to a preferred embodiment, the material of the structures that must be removed is a noble metal, particularly Pt or Ir, an oxide of a noble metal, a dielectric material, or a ferroelectric material.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the structures that must be removed have an aspect ratio of greater than 2, and preferably greater than 4. Furthermore, it is preferable to carry out the polishing step as a chemical mechanical polishing step.
It is also preferable to use a silicon oxide layer and/or a silicon nitride layer as the sacrifice layer. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the polishing step is interrupted, and residue of the mask is removed. It is particularly preferable to remove the residue of the sacrifice layer after the polishing step by wet chemical processes.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method for removing structures, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.